Disney buys Marvel Entertainment

[Metro West]

They would build their own rides, no doubt. Pooh sized folks can't even ride in the Universal roller coasters...Disney wouldn't buy them.

Yes they can. B & M designed larger seats in the third and sixth rows of Dueling Dragons and Hulk and Spiderman isn't an issue so.....

 

[Metro West]

What's going to happen to the rides at Universal? My DS loved the Spiderman ride and the other thrill rides there. Will they stay at Universal for a while, or will they be moved to Disney? I can't imagine what will happen to Universal.

The rides in question aren't going anywhere until Universal decides to let the contract expire. Personally...I don't see Universal paying Disney an inflated licensing fee for those three attractions for too long. I think Universal will decide to retheme the existing attactions into something else. But...no one really knows how long Universal will have to pay any fees or when that would start. Would it start as soon as the deal is approved or when the contract expires? The public doesn't know anything and it's all speculation about the contract terms. As much as people loved Kongfrontation at the Studios, this would be good time to think about redoing Spiderman into something like Kong. As much as I enjoy The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, the ride and technology are 10 years old now so if/when Disney has the local theme park rights to Spiderman, I think Disney will update it and probably do something completely different instead of trying use the same storyline that's in place now. Universal can retheme Hulk very easily so the coaster will stay...same with Dr. Doom.

The bigger deal locally is the contract Universal has with Marvel. As other posters have stated already, accordling to the local media...Disney would not be able to have any of the characters under the Universal contract for their parks or advertising and could not stop Universal from continuing to use them. The question is...how many characters would be affected? Is it just Spiderman, Hulk and Dr. Doom or is it more? No one knows at this point.

 

[hunter1211]

I have a friend/relative that works at Universal (didn't go into detail as far as how long, etc), but said they got a memo saying Marvel will be staying at IOA.

 

[joe363]

picture this:

Tonight on discovery channel, Mega movers will relocate the Spiderman Adventure ride from Universal Orlando to its new home at the Disney Hollywood Studios. Then the camera does a flyby and there is the ride slowly moving down I-4 on its way to it new home.....

Sure would be a kick in the butt

 

[mattsdragon]

Walt Disney was a master at telling a story. And since the creation of the company, some of the most wonderful story creators have worked for Disney. And it is true that some of the stories they created were also adaptations of other's works. But the fact of the matter was that Walt knew that in order to have a great product, you needed to start with the story.

That having been said, Stan Lee is one of the greatest story creators of the 20th century. I think his creations (The Fantastic 4, Spider-Man, The Hulk, X-Men) will more that adequately fit into the Disney Universe.

Hollywood Studios doesn't have a great "gotcha" brand right now. They are on the right track with Pixar Place, but there is definitely room to expand in the area of Streets of America. Wouldn't the New York Cityscape look fantastic with webs strewn across it? Blow out the back of the park and put in a thrill ride (it doesn't need to be the Hulk, I like the fact that there aren't visible roller coasters all over the parks. . .but a great compliment to RNR would be nice over there), and use the space that is there to incorperate the new characters. Just don't make it ugly like IOA.

And, yes, keep them out of MK. I'm not even a fan of putting the Pixar characters at MK.

 

[Metro West]

picture this:

Tonight on discovery channel, Mega movers will relocate the Spiderman Adventure ride from Universal Orlando to its new home at the Disney Hollywood Studios. Then the camera does a flyby and there is the ride slowly moving down I-4 on its way to it new home.....

Sure would be a kick in the butt

Sorry...it will never happen.

 

[mattsdragon]

"Marvel also has various deals with the two-park Universal Orlando. The agreements governing two of Universal's hugely popular rides, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk roller coaster, appear to be virtually perpetual deals. According to Universal's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Universal Orlando retains American rights east of the Mississippi River for as long as its attractions are in operation.

Universal and Marvel also have various deals for everything from merchandise sales to the theming of many other portions of the Orlando resort's Islands of Adventure theme park."


http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-bk-disney-marvel-entertainment-083109,0,2559631.story


I would imagine this is what he was referring to in the interview previously posted.

And without seeing the contract, I would have to say that Universal is going to the SEC not to stop the purchase, but to have a codecil added that allows them to maintain these rights. In leveraged buyouts such as this, existing right to use contracts become voided with a change in ownership, so Universal needs to protect their investment.

It's all in the lawyer's hands now, God help us all.

 

[Metro West]

It's all in the lawyer's hands now, God help us all.

You got that right.

 

[TDSAXX]

And without seeing the contract, I would have to say that Universal is going to the SEC not to stop the purchase, but to have a codecil added that allows them to maintain these rights. In leveraged buyouts such as this, existing right to use contracts become voided with a change in ownership, so Universal needs to protect their investment.

It's all in the lawyer's hands now, God help us all.

Actually most contracts already have issues like this covered. If not Universal's legal division made a huge blunder and will not be bailed out by the SEC. More than likely Disney will have to honor existing contracts.

 

[Doc CW]

Well as previously mentioned Disney already has X-men in circuit on Disney XD and the original X-men series from the 90's (grew up watching it, it was awesome) on the Disney store online so to me they were clearly interested in Marvel and its characters. I love the move I am a huge Wolverine fan seen all the movies tv shows and what not. I have a few concerns about this though. Such as, Wolverine in the comics and some of the cartoon movies like "Hulk Vs. Wolverine" are pretty violent and I dont know how Disney can Disneyify something that violent without taking away from the character of Wolverine. I also would not like to see any Marvel characters, even Wolverine, at any parks beyond DHS. Not to be mean, but they dont have a place anywhere else in WDW IMO, unless they give them their own theme park. Overall love the move and am excited about what Disney produces from Marvel.

 

[PAcpl]

I have to say this can only be good for Disney. Purchasing a well established company that releases blockbuster films alone will bring in more cash then a new attraction in one of the parks. As far as building a new theme park all together, that investment would be MUCH more then the 4 billion it is costing for this acquisition. And in today's economy I don't know if anyone (including Disney shareholders) would want a company to make such a large investment on anything that doesn't have any historical profits to see. Disney is no longer the kind of company to throw pooh against the wall and see if he sticks, they have shareholders to answer to.

As Metro mentioned I cant foresee Universal paying Disney for any of the Marvel licenses. When and IF the time does come to pay royalties I would be surprised if Universal didn't re-theme those attractions. And you will NEVER see any Disney themeing in Universal. WDC does a great job at protecting their brand, I can't see them cross marketing with Universal.

And for those complaining about not wanting Marvel themeing in any Disney parks. Just think about how many people wont be in the Splash Mountain line with you because they are stuck on the Spider-Man line.

 

[Disneyafternoonfan]

I think is pretty interesting news when I first heard about it took me by surizpe , but I think this will be a good partnership in the long run. I been reading that Disney will honour the agreement that Marvel have with Universal so hopefully they won't change Marvel superhero Island too much. I also agree with what been said that Disneyland Calforina or the Hollywood studios is proebly the best place for them.

Staying on topic , Did Walt ever meet Stan Lee both are some of the greatest story tellers of the 20th century

 

[bdiddy]

My brother is HUGE into comic books and he is all bummed about this deal. He thinks that Disney will start putting their hands into the comics and try to make them more kid friendly and PG. I told him I honestly don't see that happening. I think if they did that then they would lose readers. My brother said he may have been reading a certain comic for 25 yrs but if Hulk goes into therapy and comes out married singing a song then he is done. There are plenty of other comics out there to read in the meantime and I'm sure Marvel/Disney definitely doesn't want to lose readers to DC. I had to tell him over and over to take a deep breath that I'm sure it will be fine! LOL

My DH sent me something from one of his movie rumor news sites today that talks about how it may resemble the Pixar/Disney deal years ago where Pixar still remained in "control" so maybe it will the same way.

Here is that link if anyone is interested:

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/42204

 

[Jrock0114]

Disney already totally ripped off the story of the "Fantastic 4" from Marvel when they made the "Incredibles" movie. So they might as well purchase the company that birthed that idea. It's true......deal with it.

It kills me when I read these boards, they are full of people that say things like: "this is stupid", "waste of money", "don't change the original Disney magic". Are you kidding me? Folks.......Disney is a business. And right now, Disney is missing a MAJOR market. That market is a young Male/Boy demographic. Period.

Disney wants this market in a big way.....and they should. Because this market spends major money for many many years....movies, comics, video games, books, gadgets, etc.. There is very very little in Disney's portfolio right now that pulls this market in (Pirates and very few others).

Do you have any idea how many families come to Disney World and HAVE TO make a trip over to Universal for at least a day for Spider-man alone? If you have a young boy in your travel party......they are done with princesses very quickly at WDW. If they had a section of DHS with Spider-man, X-Men, and Iron Man....This would cover EVERYTHING a family could want. From young Boys....Girls.......and beyond.

Marvel has a wealth of characters and stories that Disney would love to make money on. Take Spider-Man for example. The stories of Spider-Man can be told in a very young "cartoony" basic way.......or can be told in a very dark adult version. Marvel has made millions on both sides of this coin for years.

Here's to hoping that Marvel Super Hero Island does not go anywhere at IOA. Universal nailed this and it is one of.....if not the greatest themed land in ALL of Orlando. And Spider-Man IS the greatest ride in ALL of Orlando. No question.

 

[LOVEMY3KIDDOS]

Any idea of when we may hear what / when they may do with this...char. meals, greets in the parks, rides, etc.?????? My DH and youngest son would love it! It may be enough to get DH to go more often!

 

[VegasMike21]

Any idea of when we may hear what / when they may do with this...char. meals, greets in the parks, rides, etc.?????? My DH and youngest son would love it! It may be enough to get DH to go more often!

It's gonna be a few years I would think. Disney always puts a lot of time in effort into things as they don't put a lot of junk out there.

 

[rie'smom]

From the Orlando Sentinel:

"Marvel also has various deals with the two-park Universal Orlando. The agreements governing two of Universal's hugely popular rides, The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk roller coaster, appear to be virtually perpetual deals. According to Universal's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Universal Orlando retains American rights east of the Mississippi River for as long as its attractions are in operation."

Meaning this deal really has no impact on IOA at Universal Studios.

 

[heaven2dc]

This was a shock to me when I read this today. We haven't visited Universal Studios yet and hoped to in 2010. I can't see Disney moving the Marvel inspired rides over to Disney property at all (wouldn't that take away from the theming of both studios - Disney and Universal?) I vote they keep Disney parks as they are and keep the Marvel attractions at Universal - jmo!!

 

[Metro West]

And right now, Disney is missing a MAJOR market. That market is a young Male/Boy demographic. Period.

Disney wants this market in a big way.....and they should. Because this market spends major money for many many years....movies, comics, video games, books, gadgets, etc.. There is very very little in Disney's portfolio right now that pulls this market in (Pirates and very few others).

Here's to hoping that Marvel Super Hero Island does not go anywhere at IOA. Universal nailed this and it is one of.....if not the greatest themed land in ALL of Orlando. And Spider-Man IS the greatest ride in ALL of Orlando. No question.

So many people are saying Disney needs the young male demographic on these boards and they are absolutely right but...who's fault is that? Disney is to blame for concentrating on the girly market for so long and now they are making a big deal about capturing this market they have ignored all this time? I think it's funny.

Everything else you said is right on!

 

[TDSAXX]

This was a shock to me when I read this today. We haven't visited Universal Studios yet and hoped to in 2010. I can't see Disney moving the Marvel inspired rides over to Disney property at all (wouldn't that take away from the theming of both studios - Disney and Universal?) I vote they keep Disney parks as they are and keep the Marvel attractions at Universal - jmo!!

There is no way in the world any rides will move from Universal to Disney. Besides the fact that it's not practical, Universal still owns the rides.

Just because Disney will now own the rights to the Hulk, doesn't mean they have any claim on the roller coaster itself.

It will be at least 6 mo-1 yr before this deal even closes. So it will be years before any new rides or attractions are added to any of the Disney parks.